OTTAWA — Liberals, with the support of a New Democrat, strong-armed an unwilling Conservative into chairing the House status of women committee Tuesday after they shot down the Tories’ first pick.

It is not the normal practice for a majority government to pick who gets positions reserved for the official opposition. Conservatives say the move is a sign of Liberal “intolerance.”

The status of women committee chair is always a member of the official opposition, according to House standing orders. But last week, Liberal MPs walked out of a committee meeting to protest the nomination of Conservative MP Rachael Harder, who is also the party’s status of women critic.

The dramatic move came after New Democrat critic Sheila Malcolmson raised concerns about Harder’s pro-life stance, and how that could affect her steering of a committee tasked with studying women’s issues, including reproductive rights. Women’s rights groups such as the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada backed Malcolmson and applauded Liberals for following suit.

Meanwhile, Conservatives rallied around Harder, saying her personal views wouldn’t preclude her from being able to do the job. So did pro-life groups, who argued many women in Canada disagree with abortion and having pro-choice views shouldn’t be a requirement for a parliamentary role.

So when the gavel came down Tuesday, Conservative MP Karen Vecchio nominated Harder again. Liberals asked for a vote, and, with Malcolmson’s support, knocked down the nomination. Instead, Liberal vice-chair Pam Damoff moved Vecchio should be the chair.

“Although I appreciate the nomination, I would like to back down from that nomination, if possible,” Vecchio said. Procedurally, this would require the consent of the committee and she didn’t get it. Liberals and NDP voted together to make her the chair despite her own objections, and Vecchio quickly adjourned the meeting.

“For Justin Trudeau to say a Member of Parliament is unfit to hold a procedural position because she doesn’t agree with his personal position is ridiculous,” reads a joint statement released by Vecchio and Harder following the committee meeting.

“It’s disappointing that Justin Trudeau would act this way and his actions demonstrate the intolerance of the Liberal Party of Canada, which claims to value diversity.”

Still, the statement continues, “Conservatives accept the democratic will of the committee.”

The Liberals waited a week so Conservative leader Andrew Scheer could “rethink his choice,” Damoff said after the committee meeting. Liberals require their MPs to take pro-choice stances in votes, while Conservatives allow their MPs to vote however they want on conscience issues.

Conservative Party of Canada leader Andrew Scheer speaks at his shadow cabinet meeting in Winnipeg, Thursday, September 7, 2017.THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Scheer had offered no indication last week he would back down. He told a CTV morning show on Friday he wasn’t sure why Harder’s nomination had become so controversial, and Liberals were being divisive. “Our party is very clear. Our caucus is very clear. We’re not going to open up these kinds of debates, and Rachael Harder agrees with that,” he said. “This is a procedural position for the committee and the Liberals are trying to politicize this.”

Damoff admitted Liberals hadn’t asked Harder if she would feel comfortable representing the committee on, for example, transgender issues. But she explained why Liberals see Vecchio as a better option. Vecchio had previously stated in committee that she is pro-choice, Damoff said, and had not been endorsed in the federal election by the Campaign Life Coalition, which vets candidates based on their social conservative stances.

“I’m glad that Karen Vecchio has taken the chair,” Malcolmson said in the hallway outside the meeting room. “I feel more comfortable with her being the committee’s spokesperson and the arbiter of the committee’s business given that she doesn’t have as outrageous a position on reproductive rights and abortion access as Rachael Harder did.”

Although she supported Vecchio taking the position, Malcolmson admitted “it’s not good” that Liberals would end up dictating the choice. “It’s too bad that Vecchio had to be forced by the Liberals to take the seat. It would’ve been much better if the Conservatives had proposed a reasonable candidate themselves,” she said. “This is not a good situation for anybody.”

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